Introduction to Probability and Applied Statistics

Welcome to the course website for GOVT 6019: Introduction to Probability and Applied Statistics, Fall 2026. This site and the GitHub repository behind it are the primary location for all course materials.

Start here

• Schedule — follow along.
• Setup — are you ready?
• Readings — what to read and when.
• Syllabus — it’s in the syllabus.

The course

This is the first course in the quantitative methods sequence in the Cornell Department of Government. It takes you from the basics of data and measurement, through probability and statistical inference, to the linear regression model and its interpretation.

The course meets twice a week. Seminar is Friday; discussion section is the Wednesday after, and works through the previous seminar’s material in R.

Logistics

Seminar	Fridays, 2:00–4:30pm
Discussion section	Wednesdays, 12:20–1:10pm
Instructor	Melissa Sands · m.sands@cornell.edu
Instructor office hours	Wednesdays, 1:30-2:30pm · 201 White Hall
Teaching assistant	Izza Malik · im423@cornell.edu
TA office hours	Thursdays, 10:00-11:00am · B13 White Hall

Assessment

Two in-class exams, 50% each: the midterm on Friday, October 16 and the final during the December exam period.

Homework is ungraded. Write out real answers anyway. Work together.